When Logic Fails
by fivesteamboatsxD
Summary: Temperance Brennan lives by logic, but what happens when you are so in the moment that logic no longer applies? What happens when you can't quantify what you feel? What happens when the walls crash down? Read and Review.
1. Flashback

Booth supposed the evidence has been there all along. Bones loves him. He loved her. They loved each other. Maybe they didn't see it at first, but it's damn well obvious now. It's been building for a while, and they were just the last to see it. How could they fall in love with each other? She's queen of the squints! But then again…isn't that why he loved her? Didn't he love her inability to say the culturally correct thing but the guarantee that one word from her lips on a dark night would brighten up everything instantly? Didn't he love her rationalized rants, even if they were contradictory to his beliefs?

He knew she'd come around. He knew that deep down, somewhere in there, was a woman who wanted to be loved. There was something within her that wanted the big wedding, the love story, something that wanted him. With logic forming her seemingly impenetrable walls, she suppressed those desires. She'd thought that no one could love her, so why hope. He broke down those walls. He broke down the ever sensible Temperance Brennan and made her come to terms with reality. You can't hide forever, because soon you'll run out of places to hide.

_"You don't have to hide, Temperance" Booth said as he held her that night after the most awful argument they'd ever had. That night that was both the worst and the best night for them. And what a pivotal night that was! The walls were gone, their line obliterated as her salty tears stained his t shirt. _

_"Booth. You don't know! You don't know the truth! Everyone thinks I'm so cold and unfeeling, but I have a heart Booth! I feel things. I feel pain. Everyone thinks I need to be told how truly messed up I am! That something's not right with me, like I'm some kind of misplaced bolt in the machine… You think I don't know? I know that I don't fit in. I know I overanalyze to compensate for the nothingness that I possess! All this! Look at all the great things I've done, best selling author, forensic anthropologist…none of it means ANYTHING!" She screamed as she picked up a framed certificate and threw it on the ground watching the glass shatter. _

_He stepped back and looked seriously into her eyes to let her know it was okay to let go. She continued softly. "No accolade, no praise, nothing. It's all meaningless in the long run. I love my work, don't misunderstand me…but if you think that I'm not aware that my work doesn't make up for the gaping hole within me, then you're wrong. I just want to be normal. I want to be loved. As a person. I'm tired of being alone. I've been alone my entire life, when's it my turn to be happy?" _

_She looked down at the glass but made no move to clean it up. "I'm queen of an empty castle." _

_She turned to walk away and that's when he grabbed her wrist. He pulled her back gently, wiping the tears from her face. He brushed his fingers over her skin and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looked down, avoiding meeting his soft gaze. He rested his hand on her shoulder and lifted her chin with his other. His lips softly touched to hers. She was unresponsive, except for the small tear that ran down her cheek and touched his face in the process. _

_He kissed her just once more. "You are so beautiful, Tempe. And I promise…you'll be okay."_

_"I love you, Seeley." That was all she said. That was all she needed to say. Their lips met again with the same tenderness as before._

_"I love you too, Temperance."_

Booth looked at the clock on the wall in his office. Then his eyes drifted down to the pile of paperwork on his desk. He had to get it done, but he simply could not stop thinking about how it all happened. The walls were down. He saw the real Temperance Brennan and she saw the real Seeley Booth. He loved every bit of her too. He loved her logic, he loved her lack thereof. How could such a wonderful person feel so worthless? She was worth everything to him.

He thought of the events before her breakdown. He thought of the gruesome case, that ruthless woman, their argument, and easily the worst thing to have ever left his lips. He'd never forgive himself those words, even if they brought him to where he was now.

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**Hey, so this just kind of came to me...I really like it. :) I hope you do as well, review and let me know. I already have chapter two written...Review and I may post it today. Next chapter starts with the beginning of said case. Oh and in case I forgot-review:)**

**-Lacey**


	2. Gruesome

**Thank you so much for your reviews! I was planning on holding out for at least ten, but I got anxious and couldn't wait to post! So, this is the second chapter and the beginning of the case that brought them to what happened in chapter one. I really love this story and I hope you do too. **

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_Two weeks earlier..._

"Oh my god." Brennan said as they entered the cement cellar of an abandoned farmhouse.

"Two kids called it in…uh they found it when they were…looking for privacy"

"—for a sexual encounter" Brennan finished Booth's sentence as she looked around. There were blood stains spatter onto the concrete walls and the floor. There was a small metals box with thick steel bars across the front. There were rust stains and blood stains all over the box. The sight of the box alone would give anyone the creeps…but it was what was in the box that made matters worse.

Inside the metal cage was a human skeleton with deteriorating flesh that turned to an unpleasant green tint. Rats and mice were seen snacking on the corpse. Around the body was a pool of curdled scarlet blood. Many limbs were found just dangling by one small piece of what used to be skin.

The skull had most rapidly deteriorated; Brennan deduced that to the rats who would feast upon that flesh first. The mandible was dropped and revealed many beetles on the inside of her agape mouth.

Booth's stomach seemed to flip. "Oh wow"

Dr. Brennan pushed past him and knelt beside the cage door. "Can someone get this open; I'd like to have a closer look." She called to the numerous FBI agents that were taking pictures of the blood patterns and the knives and tools found on the table adjacent to the cage.

"What a sicko" Booth commented as he looked at all the torture devices. He saw that all had dried and crusted blood on them. There was a chair on the opposite side of the room facing the front of the cage. This man was sick, not only would he torture the victim, but he watched her suffer, too.

One agent who Booth knew as Agent Greene passed by with what looked like the Jaws of Life and cut through the bars. Brennan snapped her gloves on tighter as she took in the victim.

"Tight squeeze, what would you say the size of this thing is?" Booth asked her.

"Its dimensions are approximately 2x2x4 feet…"

"No metric system today?" He teased.

"No, Booth. I've become aware that you don't comprehend the metric system and figured that you could better understand if I told you in some way you'd understand. Although the American system is flawed and needlessly complicated, if it would be more beneficial to you for me to speak in those terms—only while estimating the size of this contraption, of course, I have to use the metric system for the victim, but if you'd like I could translate that as well—then I'll do it, Booth."

"I was teasing, Bones…thanks, though." Booth rolled his eyes.

Brennan leaned in over the cadaver and prepared to make her evaluations. "Victim is female, anywhere from 17-22, very tall—approximately 1.7 meters…or 5'10''," She shot a condescending glance towards Booth and continued while picking up the left hand of the victim. "She seems to have severed limbs that weren't completely amputated off …cause of death still to be determined. Though, it's most likely that she bled to death" She backed away and stood up taking in her dreary surroundings. "I mean, look at all this blood…"

"We'll have to send it back to the lab to be sure though…send it all back…the tools, the table, the chair, the cage, the rats, the corpse, all of it." She again called to the surrounding agents.

"The rats, Bones?"

"Yes. Hodgins will want to analyze their excrement" Brennan said matter-of-factly.

Booth sighed and followed his partner as they made their way back to the Suburban and to the lab. She snapped of her gloves and disposed of them into an empty grocery store sack that she saw on the floor of the automobile.

Booth started the vehicle and proceeded to drive while Brennan adjusted her seatbelt and tied the plastic bag shut.

"You know, these bags are not very ecologically friendly" She said nodding her head towards the bag at her feet.

"That's what they give you when you go to Wal-mart."

"Don't they have paper bags which are biodegradable—or better yet, the burlap shopping sacks? Those are what I use. They are biodegradable and our rainforest need not be depleted by cutting down trees to make paper bags."

"Yeah, I'll keep that in mind" He said distractedly.

"What's wrong, Booth? You seem unnerved"

"It's just the crime scene…she was really young and that was a gruesome way to go."

"We're not exactly sure how she died yet…or her exact age"

"It doesn't matter; a young girl is dead and was obviously tortured for some sick pervert's entertainment."

"Booth, we've seen worse cases. Epps cut off his wife's head while she was still alive"

"Doesn't make this any better."

"You're right. But we're going to find the perpetrator, Booth. It's what we do."

"What if he has other victims? People who torture others like that are more than likely serial killers"

"It doesn't matter, we'll find whomever it is, male or female, and bring him or her to justice." She reassured him as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, we will. Thanks Bones."

"No problem Booth."

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**Please, please review! Or add to story alert...I just need some feedback. **

**Review?**

**-Lacey**

**Ps. I'm still working on Dancing Phalanges. I'm writing it right now, so check back there:)**


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